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Researchers discover potential way to develop universal flu vaccines

University of British Columbia researchers have found a potential way to develop universal flu vaccines and eliminate the need for seasonal flu vaccinations.

8 May 2012

Scientists make important discovery about internal programming of B cells

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have made an important discovery about the internal programming of B cells, the immune cells that make antibodies against infections. The finding opens the way for the development of vaccines that can work more efficiently and hints at therapies for conditions in which B cells cause harm—such as the autoimmune disease lupus erythymatosus, severe allergies, and B-cell lymphomas.

8 May 2012

Long-term exposure to roadways linked with increased risk of death in patients with heart attack

Living close to a major highway poses a significant risk to heart attack survivors, reinforcing the need to isolate housing developments from heavy traffic areas, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center study concludes.

8 May 2012

Research reveals possible strategy to reverse fibrosis in liver and other organs

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, report that significant numbers of myofibroblasts - cells that produce the fibrous scarring in chronic liver injury - revert to an inactive phenotype as the liver heals. The discovery in mouse models could ultimately help lead to new human therapies for reversing fibrosis in the liver, and in other organs like the lungs and kidneys.

8 May 2012

Cheaper anti-blindness drug could save NHS £85 million annually

Avastin (bevacizumab), which is used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration – the most common cause of blindness among the elderly costs only £60 per injection. But despite trials showing it is no less effective, another drug, Lucentis, is the current official choice, even though it costs £700 per shot. Avastin is intended to treat bowel cancer, but research by the National Institute for Health Research has shown that it also works just as effectively and safely as Lucentis in treating Wet AMD.

8 May 2012

High rates of birth defects associated with an artificial reproductive technology: Study

A new study has shown that one of the most popular forms of IVF could double the risk of birth defects.

8 May 2012

New information about biological outcomes and commuting distance

As populations move even further away from urban centers, more people spend longer hours behind the wheel on their way to and from work. While sedentary behavior is known to have adverse effects on cardiovascular and metabolic health, the impact of long commutes by automobile are less understood. A new study has found that greater commuting distances are associated with decreased cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), increased weight, and other indicators of metabolic risk.

8 May 2012

WellNow Urgent Care opens two new Middle Tennessee clinics

WellNow Urgent Care, based in Nashville, continues its growth trajectory for 2012 with two new Middle Tennessee clinics. WellNow Dickson is now open following the acquisition and renovation of the former Walk-In Quick Care, according to J. Scott Jordan, M.D., WellNow's Chief Medical Officer. WellNow Dickson is located at 199 Henslee Drive. WellNow Springfield is slated for its opening this summer and is located at 2660 Memorial Boulevard.

8 May 2012

Pall in-line filters can reduce severe complications, length of hospital stay in PICU

A recently published clinical study on infusion therapy indicates in-line filters from Pall Corporation can reduce severe complications and the length of a patient's stay in the pediatric intensive care unit.

From Pall Corporation 8 May 2012

NCPIE launches three acetaminophen safe use modules

The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) today launched three customized, online educational modules to promote safe use of acetaminophen products.

8 May 2012

DBS may offer hope for patients with mild Alzheimer's

A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific "memory" regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. Results of the study using deep brain stimulation, a therapy already used in some patients with Parkinson's disease and depression, may offer hope for at least some with AD, an intractable disease with no cure.

8 May 2012

T2M cells play a crucial role in treatment-resistant asthma

For most people with asthma, a couple of puffs from an inhaler filled with steroids makes breathing easy. But if their lungs become resistant to the calming effect of that medicine, they live in fear of severe asthma attacks that could send them to the hospital - or worse. Now, new research from the University of Michigan Health System may help explain what's going on in the lungs of these steroid-resistant individuals. The findings could aid the development of new treatment options, and of better ways to identify people at risk of becoming steroid-resistant.

8 May 2012

State roundup: Calif. fight over group homes for seniors; New agency proposed to police disabled care in NY; Conn. retiree health plan expansion could endanger protections

Neighbors were already concerned about the growing number of group homes for the elderly and recovering addicts in the area, many of them for profit. A Times analysis found 24 licensed facilities offering residential care for the elderly within a mile of the proposed project and three more waiting for state approval. It is one of several such clusters that have emerged in Los Angeles County -- including parts of the San Fernando Valley and South Bay -- where families can afford fees that run into thousands of dollars per month. Large swaths of the county's less affluent areas have no such facilities.

8 May 2012

Low weight gain reported among women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy

In one of the largest studies of its kind, clinicians and researchers with Carolinas HealthCare System found that nearly 25% of women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) reported weight gain below recommended levels for their pre-pregnancy body mass index (PPBMI).

7 May 2012

School-based health centers highly effective in delivering comprehensive care

New research from the University of Colorado School of Medicine shows that school-based health centers are highly effective in delivering comprehensive care, especially vaccines to adolescents.

7 May 2012

Comprehensive mobile stroke ambulance

NeuroLogica Corporation and German based MEYTEC GmbH announced today the development of the world's first comprehensive mobile stroke ambulance. Stroke-Emergency-Mobile, VIMED STEMO, combines MEYTEC's cutting-edge telemedicine solutions with NeuroLogica's state of the art portable CT scanner, CereTom.

7 May 2012

Intellect Neurosciences announces two new programs in Alzheimer's disease development pipeline

Intellect Neurosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of disease-modifying therapeutic agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases, today announced two new programs in its Alzheimer's disease development pipeline. The new programs are based on two antibodies that target early neurotoxic forms of tau protein, which Intellect intends to develop for therapeutic and diagnostic uses.

7 May 2012

Vertex reports interim data from VX-809 and KALYDECO combination Phase 2 study for cystic fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today an interim analysis of data from an ongoing Phase 2 study of VX-809 and KALYDECO (ivacaftor) that showed significant improvements in lung function (FEV1) among adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have two copies.

7 May 2012

Options for improving antimicrobial use in food animal production

Today, U.S. regulators and representatives from national food production industries will meet to discuss "Improving Antimicrobial Use in Food Animal Production: Alternatives, Options and Incentives," in Washington, DC.

7 May 2012

Latest science from area of network biology

This week experts from around the world will meet to discuss how network models can be applied to the study and targeting of complex diseases such as cancer, diabetes and neurological disorders.

7 May 2012